Although it is less publicized than other forms of exercise, walking is one of mankind's oldest and most universal methods of muscle relaxation and stimulation. In this age of high-tech exercise equipment and low impact aerobics, many have forgotten the fact that we can achieve beneficial muscle and spinal stimulation from a simple stroll around the block.
An explanation of the dynamics of walking illustrates the various muscle and spinal movements that take place when a person walks. The lower spine rests on the pelvis whereby pelvic movement controls lower spine movement. Consider the three main forces that operate on the pelvis of an upright standing person. The right and left thigh bone each push up on opposite ends of the pelvis, while the centrally located spine pushes down. These three forces balance each other out and the pelvis remains horizontal in the transverse direction. When a person begins to walk, the weight is shifted to one foot, for example the right foot, and the left foot is lifted off the ground. At this instant, the three forces are no longer in balance. The right thigh bone pushes up on the pelvis; the spine pushes down; and the weight of the raised left leg pulls down. The result is that the pelvis tilts down on the left side and the spine tilts out in the direction of the left side. This spine tilt would produce a side to side motion of the spine and upper body when walking. However, this normally does not happen because as soon as the spine starts its leftward tilt, the lower spine spontaneously flexes or curves itself to the right. This effectively cancels the tendency of the upper body to move to the left. A similar but opposite action occurs as a person next steps with the left foot. Thus, a stable upper body position is maintained while walking.
The above-described lateral flexing of the lower spine occurs during each step in the walking process, and has a great effect on the health, blood circulation, and proper functioning of the organs (including digestive) that are located in the lower midsection. Since a normal person may take from 1,000 to 10,000 steps each day, it can be seen that lateral flexing is the dominant type of movement for the lower spine.
It would be beneficial to provide an ergonomic device which could simulate to some extent the walking process while a person is performing another different activity, for example sitting. Ergonomics is generally defined as an applied science concerned with the application of biological and engineering data to problems relating to mankind's interaction with machines. To date, there is no known ergonomic device which is designed to simulate the walking process in a seated person.
Prior seating arrangements have been proposed for providing general movement to the user. Examples of such arrangements include the patents to Noble, U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,425 and Morrell. U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,732. Noble discloses a seat having inflatable portions or sections 60, 62 and 64, 66 defined within the seat bottom and seat back for inflation/deflation. The Noble patent makes no distinction between left and right sides. It produces undulations in a forward and upward direction as opposed to the right and left motions of walking. Also, Noble provides continuous overall cushioned support over the area of the seat. Morrell discloses a system similar to Noble which provides for automatic cycling. The Morrell patent also makes no distinction between the left and right sides. Morrell provides continuous area wide cushioned support coming from one or the other set of alternating, parallel tubes.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an ergonomic anti-fatigue seating device and method in which motion is translated to the lower midsection of the user which is similar to the motion produced by walking.
It is a feature of the device and method of this invention to provide variable motion to the lower midsection of a user wherein the right and left hips of the user are alternately lifted a predetermined distance in a continuous, periodic and predetermined cycle.
It is a further feature of the device and method of this invention to provide variable motion to the lower midsection of a user wherein the right and left hips of the user are alternately lifted and pushed forward a predetermined distance in a continuous, periodic and predetermined cycle.
Thus, it is an advantage of this invention that a user can achieve some of the benefits normally attainable through walking, while performing other tasks such as driving an automobile or a truck or working in an office or any other activity which involves sitting.